By: Shannon Bickert
The Schooners got back to their winning ways, taking down the SteepleCats 12-6 at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Mystic moves to 9-4 on the summer.
It was an offensive explosion for Mystic, recording 12 hits on the day. Jamie Zee (Notre Dame) tallied three-hits, including two doubles in the win for Mystic. Casey Wensley (Bryant) caused trouble on the basepaths, swiping four bags on the afternoon.
North Adams got on the board in the top of the first against Mystic’s starter, Mike Poncini (Georgetown). Hunter Ray (Portal) worked a full-count walk and Chris Diaz (Marist) drove in the run on a double to left field.
Jack Harley (Stetson) led off the bottom of the first frame with a single to right. Wensley took his spot on the basepaths on a fielder's choice and swiped second. Jake Foster (RIC), the Steeplecats starter, stranded the baserunner in scoring position.
Mystic answered in the second with a three-spot. Cam Righi (UConn) walked and moved to third on Thomas O’Connell’s (Virginia) single to left-center field. Christian Butera (Brown) wore a pitch to load the bases. Harley knotted the game at one, working an RBI walk. Wensley followed, knocking a two-RBI single to right field to give the Schooners the lead.
Poncini kept Mystic in it, tossing back-to-back scoreless frames.
Mystic added on in the third inning with a two-out rally. Zee beat out an infield single to second. Righi followed with a single to right field, moving Zee to third. Anthony Belisario (Portal) added on with a sacrifice fly to give Mystic the 4-1 lead. O’Connell ripped his second hit of the day, an RBI-single, giving the Schooners a four-run advantage. Butera kept the line moving with a bloop single to right field, but Foster got out of further trouble.
The SteepleCats were unable to capitalize on a leadoff single and error in the fourth. Poncini worked out of trouble with a strikeout and double-play.
Mystic continued to pour on the offense in the bottom of the fourth. Wensley led off the frame with a single to right field, his second hit of the night. Wensley swiped second for his sixth stolen bag of the summer. Bryce Detwiler (UConn) worked a walk, putting two on for Mystic when the SteepleCats made the call to the bullpen. North Adams turned to Matt Higgins (Colby) to try and get out of the jam. Anthony Ruggiero (Portal) walked to load the bases. Zee made the SteepleCats pay with a hard-hit two-run double down the left field line. Righi added on with an RBI fielder’s choice to make it an 8-1 ballgame.
Zev Salsberg (Bryant) took the mound for Mystic in the fifth inning. Salsberg tossed a three-up, three-down inning, capping off the inning with a strikeout.
Harley worked his second walk of the day, but was replaced by Wensley on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the fifth. Wensley swiped his third base and fourth bags of the day. Detwiler walked, putting runners on the corners for Mystic but Higgins escaped the traffic, recording a scoreless inning.
Salsberg recorded his second straight inning facing the minimum in the sixth. Salsberg ended his day after two frames of not allowing a baserunner and striking out two.
Anthoni Kiafoulis (UPenn) entered in the sixth inning for North Adams. Kiafoulis issued a walk to the first batter he faced, Ruggiero. Belisario reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to second on a stolen base, putting two in scoring position. Kiafoulis stranded both baserunners.
The Schooners turned to Justin Gouin (Hartford) in the seventh inning on the bump. Gouin allowed the leadoff man, Matthew Colella (Lafayette), to reach on a walk, but retired the next three hitters he faced.
James Morr (Portal) took the ball for the SteepleCats in the bottom of the seventh. Morr hit the first batter he faced, Butera. Detwiler singled, but Morr held the Schooners off from tacking on.
North Adams put up a huge eighth inning, cutting the deficit to two runs. The SteepleCats used patience against Randy Guzman (Winthrop) to chip away. Guzman walked three batters and hit two by pitch, before the Schooners turned to Luke Trout (Brown) to put a stop to the rally. Trout delivered two wild pitches, allowing the SteepleCats to score two more runs. Colella got the first knock of the frame, bringing in the fifth run of the inning. Evan Meier (MSMU) loaded the bases with an infield single to shortstop. The Schooners turned to their third arm of the inning Liam Chamberlin (Portal) to stop the bleeding. Chamberlin retired both hitters he faced, keeping the Schooners in the lead.
Ruggiero led off the bottom of the eighth inning with his third walk of the game and quickly swiped second. Zee ripped an RBI-double to left-center field, giving Mystic a 9-6 advantage on his third hit of the day. Pinch hitter Joel Collado moved Zee to third on a sacrifice fly, setting up Belisario for an RBI-single up the middle. O’Connell reached on an error, putting runners on the corners for Mystic. Belisario extended Mystic’s lead, scoring on a wild pitch. Harley walked and cruised into third on a wild pitch as pinch runner Scott Penney (URI) scored, giving Mystic a 12-6 lead.
Chamberlin shut the door on North Adams.
The Schooners look to take a road victory against the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. In their last meeting, the Schooners fell 8-6. The summer series is tied 1-1 between the Schooners and Sharks. First pitch from the Shark Tank is set for 7:05 on Saturday, June 20.
